Grandmother ESP
by missy52061
Summary: Martha just knows when her granddaughter Lily needs her. As always, i don't own Castle, but I wish I did.


What a wonderful evening, Martha Rodgers thought as she looked around at the Opening Night After Party. She had taken the night off from her Tony winning performance (her understudy was thrilled; Martha almost never missed a show) so she could take in the new production and then join the party. She had enjoyed the performance immensely and was enjoying the party as well.

Especially when so many people congratulated her on her newest production, her new granddaughter, Lily. "Lily Johanna Beckett Castle, all eight pounds and seven ounces of beautiful, darling!" she found herself saying over and over. She loved showing off the many pictures that Richard and Katherine sent her. The day of her birth (one of the few shows that Martha missed) was etched in her brain. The excited phone call from Richard, sitting in the waiting room with Jim and Alexis, Richard coming out of the room to gather them up, and the sight of that pink wrapped bundle and the happy smiles of her mother and father. Even now, Martha just felt warm all over.

Of course, that warmth could be from her fourth glass of Champagne, but she doubted it. Lily was a beautiful baby, and Martha adored her with every ounce of her being. It had been a few days since she had seen her and Martha missed her dreadfully. Then a feeling washed over her; she just felt that Richard and Katherine needed her help. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew. She remembered the time Richard had volunteered to watch little Benny – how she had returned to the loft and found them walking him back and forth. She had swooped in and taken him out of their tired arms, and he had calmed down for her. (She also remembered Alexis' shock as she found her dad and Katherine asleep on the couch and Martha feeding the baby a bottle!) She had a very strong bond with her granddaughter; maybe that was the feeling she was feeling right now.

She quickly said her good-byes, gathered up her things and went outside. She was lucky and was able to snag a passing taxi. She decided to send Richard a text – if they were all asleep, she'd just head home. But Richard answered her quickly, so she told the taxi driver their address and she was at the loft in no time. The night time doorman recognized her, and after she had signed in, let her go upstairs without calling. This way, if Lily was asleep, she would stay asleep. She'd texted Richard a second time, letting him know she was on her way up to the loft, so she wasn't surprised that the door opened almost immediately.

Richard was holding a fretting Lily and he appeared to be exhausted. "Mother, thank goodness you're here! I sent Kate to bed a little while ago, but Lily just won't settle down. Maybe she wants a different set of arms!" he whispered. Martha stepped all the way into the room, and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, Richard, I'll be happy to rock her for a bit. Why don't you go join Katherine and rest? I'll take care of our princess, okay?" She kissed her son on the cheek, while deftly taking her granddaughter from his arms. Richard looked somewhat befuddled as she shooed him on his way. He kissed his daughter on the crown of her head, kissed his mother on the cheek, and then turned around and headed off to the bedroom.

Martha would have been gratified to see how quickly he fell asleep, but at that moment, she was attempting to sooth her granddaughter. She walked with her a little, doing the dip and sway that used to work on Richard, but Lily was still a little fussy. She hummed softly under her breath, and Lily seemed to like that. She opened her eyes and seemed to stare at her Gram. Martha walked over to the big comfortable leather couch and slowly lowered herself to sit on it. Lily had stopped fussing and so Martha started to talk to her.

"Lily, I know you can feel how much you are loved. Your whole family loves you so very much, but your Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back. Someday, I will tell you how I watched them fall in love with each other. They both tried to pretend they didn't love each other, but I knew. A mother always knows. And I wanted your daddy to be with your mommy from the first time I met her. She was so right for him. Your daddy was always a good man, always protecting the people he loved. But your mother made him want to be even better. And your mommy was always a strong person – someday Grandpa will tell you stories about her – but your daddy helped her have fun. Together, they are amazing. And they made you, my sweet granddaughter. You and I are going to have so much fun together!" Martha laughed softly as Lily looked back at her, and then she watched as Lily's eyes closed. Soon she was sleeping, and Martha took a pillow and used it to support Lily as she slept. Martha couldn't help herself; she put her hand on her granddaughter's tummy so she could feel her breathing. She knew it would calm Lily and it helped reassure her that all was right with her granddaughter. She'd just close her eyes for a moment.

And that was how Kate found her some time later – Martha dozing with her hand on a sleeping Lily. She smiled as she watched the two of them sleep. They both looked so peaceful. She had her phone with her and couldn't resist snapping a picture or two. She didn't know when Martha arrived, but she wasn't surprised. Ever since Lily was born, it seemed that whenever they needed a little extra help, Martha would show up. Rick called it "Grandma ESP", and they were grateful for it. He also told her that he felt that Grandma Jo whispered in her ear whenever Lily needed a grandmother's love. Kate was starting to believe that too. Lily had brought magic to their lives, and while it made Kate miss her mother, she also knew her mother had a hand in it. She knew she often felt a presence when she was with Lily and she chose to believe it was her mother's love. She reached to take her baby off her grandmother's lap and smiled as she looked at her. "I love you, my little Lily," she whispered into her ear.

 **A/N: I was the babysitter who put her hand on her sleeping niece's tummy to be reassured. And it calmed her and me at the same time!**


End file.
